National School Counseling Week

February 1-5, 2016, is National School Counseling Week. The purpose of National School Counseling Week is to focus public attention on the unique contributions of professional school counselors within schools and school systems nationwide. National School Counseling Week, sponsored by the American School Counselor Association, highlights the tremendous impact school counselors have on student success and career preparation. National School Counseling Week is always celebrated the first full week in February.

Please join Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools in celebrating our wonderful counselors.

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Schools in Session on Feb. 15 - No Teacher Workday / 15 de febrero - Escuelas estarán abiertas y en sesión - No habrá día de trabajo para maestros

Teacher Workday Canceled and Inclement Weather Day on Feb. 15
Because schools were closed on January 22 due to inclement weather, the next Inclement Weather Day to make up any missed school is Monday, February 15.  This means that school will be in session and the Teacher Workday is canceled.

Día de trabajo para maestros está cancelado el 15 de feb.

Por que las escuelas estuvieron cerradas el 22 de enero, por mal clima, y el 15 de febrero es el siguiente día designado en el calendario como día de reemplazo en caso de mal clima. Esto significa que las escuelas estarán abiertas para los estudiantes y en sesión y el día de trabajo para maestros está cancelado.

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BRMA Honors Mentors During National Mentoring Month

 Blue Ribbon Mentor-Advocate (BRMA) recently celebrated National Mentoring Month with a Mentor Appreciation Event. More than 60 participants, including mentors, mentees and their families, participated in the Thank You Dinner.

BRMA is a Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools support program designed to improve the achievement of students of color. The program provides students with the adult support they need in the form of a mentor-advocate to attain their personal and academic potential. The mentor-advocate plays a dual role, establishing a meaningful relationship with the young person as well as promoting the child’s success in school by working as an advocate in conjunction with the child’s family and school personnel.

The Mentor Appreciation Event was a way to thank these mentor-advocates for all their hard work and dedication to the students in the program. A BRMA sixth-grader from McDougle Middle School played "Ode to Joy" on her violin, while three Phillips Middle School students read poems honoring all BRMA mentors.

Mentors were overwhelmed with the outpouring of love from the families they have bonded with over the years. Mentor Mike Nowicki said his wife was brought to tears when she read a card he received from his mentee.

National Mentoring Month celebrates and honors the importance of quality mentoring programs such as BRMA and the role that mentors fill.

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Schools Operating on Normal Schedules for Wed., Jan. 27; Scheduled Delayed Opening Canceled for Thurs. Jan. 28

The Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools are running on its normal operating schedule for Wednesday, January 27.  All students and staff should report at their normal times.

Delayed Opening on Thursday, January 28 Is Canceled
The scheduled Delayed Opening for professional development on Thursday, January 28 has been canceled due to the loss of instructional time over the last several days.  January 28 is now a full school day and students and staff should be at school at their normal times.

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Schools Closed on Tuesday, January 26 with 3-hour Delay for Staff

After reevaluating the road conditions, CHCCS has decided it is too hazardous in many parts of the district and are closing schools on Tuesday, January 26.

For staff, it is now an Optional Teacher Workday.  Any staff who choose to come into work, should arrive on a 3-hour delay.  Operational staff, such as maintenance and custodians, should report to work as close to normal time as travel conditions permit.

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Schools Operating on 3-Hour Delay on Tuesday, January 26

A 3-Hour Delay Scheduled with Reevaluation in the Morning
CHCCS is working hard to have school on Tuesday.  There are still icing and accumulated snow in some of our parking lots and in many neighborhoods and rural roads.  At this point, CHCCS is will operate on a three-hour delay.

CHCCS will reevaluate this decision in the morning, and, if a schedule change is required, will send out a notification by 8:30 a.m.  If there is any change in plans tomorrow morning, CHCCS will send both a call and email.  If there is no needed change, then all schools will open three hours later than their normal start time.

CHCCS appreciates everyone's cooperation and flexibility.

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Application for Vacant Board Position

Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools currently has a vacant position on the Board of Education. According to Board policy, this seat is to be filled by appointment of the remaining Board members. Serving on the Board is a challenging and rewarding endeavor. The result of this work will impact over 12,000 students and 2,100 employees.

If you are interested in filling this position, please read through the application packet. It contains relevant statutes, policies, criteria, a timeline and the application. The application is due to the Superintendent’s Office no later than February 5, 2016 at noon. 

Please note that your application will be a public record.

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SCHOOLS CLOSED for students and employees, Monday, January 25.

Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools will be closed for students on Monday, January 25 due to hazardous travel conditions remaining in many parts of our region.

Many of the secondary roads, sidewalks, and parking lots still have significant accumulations of ice and snow.

Monday will be an optional teacher workday for employees. Staff choosing to work should arrive on a two-hour delay.

UPDATE: For employees planning to go to your school or office today, we were originally on a two-hour delay. However, we need a little more time to prepare parking lots and sidewalks, along with warmer temperatures. So we are now asking staff to not report until 11 a.m.

UPDATE (9:20AM 1/25/2015): We have just received an update on our lots and sidewalks. Unfortunately we will not be ready for staff arrival later today and we are closing for staff. We will no longer operate under an optional teacher workday. Hopefully today's warmer temperatures will help in the clean up efforts.

Operational staff, including maintenance and custodians should report to work and arrive as close to normal starting time as travel conditions permit.

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Alliyah Chaplin - NCHSAA Performance of the Week

Alliyah Chaplin of Chapel Hill High School and Sage Surratt of East Lincoln High School have been named winners of the NCHSAA Performance of the Week awards, powered by Time Warner Cable SportsChannel with Jersey Mike’s Subs®.

Each week two athletes in North Carolina High School Athletic Association competition are selected for this award from nominations received from media and school administrators.

Chaplin had a double-double last week against Cardinal Gibbons High School with 21 points and 12 rebounds in the decisive 52-38 win over the Lady Crusaders last week in non-conference play. The sophomore Tiger also contributed 4 assists, 1 block and 1 steal.

Alliyah’s sister, Ti’Mia, also suits up for the Chapel Hill squad, coached by Sherry Norris who was recognized in the fall for induction into the class of 2016 for the NCHSAA Hall of Fame and was recently announced as the 2015 North Carolina Coach of the Year for Girls Basketball by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS).

Surratt, a junior at East Lincoln, hit six 3-point shots in a major 91- 57 win last week over the Maiden Blue Devils, scoring a total of 50 points. He shot 100% from the free throw line, sinking 10 of 10 attempts and added six assists and three steals to round out his performance against Maiden High School. Incidentally, his brother, Chazz, was named as a Performance of the Week athlete last year for his football prowess at East Lincoln.

TWC SportsChannel typically announces the winners of the awards during its Tuesday night Sports Night show and will recognize the winners throughout the week. Weekly recipients will also be recognized via Twitter and Facebook.

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Delayed Opening, Jan. 28 / Fechas para apertura demorada de las escuelas, 28 de enero

Delayed Opening Scheduled for January 28
The district has approved a plan for schools to operate on a Delayed Opening schedule eight Thursdays during the 2015-16 school year.  Schools will open two hours late, allowing teachers to use the time for collaborative planning or professional development.

On these days, buses will run two hours later than the normal schedule and schools will open to students two hours later than usual. Schools will dismiss at their normally scheduled time.

• Elementary Schools begin at 9:50 a.m.
• Middle Schools begin at 10:20 a.m.
• High Schools begin at 10:45 a.m.

Fechas para apertura demorada de las escuelas, 28 de enero
Las escuelas públicas de Chapel Hill-Carrboro han aprobado las fechas para apertura demorada de las escuelas, correspondientes a ocho (8) jueves durante el año escolar 2015-2016.  Las escuelas abrirán 2 horas más tarde, para darle a los maestros tiempo para preparar y planificar las clases, así como tiempo para educación continuada.

Esos días los buses recogerán a los niños 2 horas más tarde de lo acostumbrado y las escuelas abrirán sus puertas a los estudiantes 2 horas más tarde de lo acostumbrado. Las clases terminarán a la hora regular.

• Escuelas de Primaria empezarán a las 9:50 de la mañana
• Escuelas de Secundaria Media empezarán a las 10:20 de la mañana
• Escuelas de Secundarias Superior empezarán a las 10:45 de la mañana

read more "Delayed Opening, Jan. 28 / Fechas para apertura demorada de las escuelas, 28 de enero"

New Kids on the Blog

CHCCS speech-language pathologists have created a new blog.  Bookmark this link to see short articles of interest.

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Two Changes to Board Calendar

The Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools Board of Education’s orientation event previously scheduled for Tuesday, January 19 has been postponed. A new date has not yet been set.

Additionally, a majority of the Board may be in attendance for a community education forum sponsored by the Chapel Hill-Carrboro NAACP, the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Chamber of Commerce, Organizing Against Racism of Orange County, NAACP Youth Council, and Movement of Youth on Saturday, January 23. The event will take place from 1-4 p.m. at United Church of Chapel Hill (1321 Martin Luther King Boulevard – Chapel Hill).

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Schools, Offices Closed for Holiday on Jan. 18; Teacher Workday on Jan. 19 / El lunes 18 de enero, día festivo, estarán cerradas las escuelas y oficinas; día de trabajo para maestros el martes 19 de enero

Holiday and Teacher Workday Scheduled
Schools and district offices will be closed on Monday, January 18 in honor of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday.

A Teacher Workday is scheduled for Tuesday, January 19.  District offices are open.

Día festivo y día de trabajo para maestros programado
Las escuelas y oficinas del distrito estarán cerradas el lunes, 18 de enero, en honor al día festivo de Martin Luther King, Jr.

Un día de trabajo para maestros está programado el martes, 19 de enero.  Las oficinas del distrito estarán abiertas.

read more "Schools, Offices Closed for Holiday on Jan. 18; Teacher Workday on Jan. 19 / El lunes 18 de enero, día festivo, estarán cerradas las escuelas y oficinas; día de trabajo para maestros el martes 19 de enero"

Ten CHCCS Teachers Earn National Board Certification

Ten Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools’ teachers recently earned National Board Certification from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS).

The recipients represent seven district schools. They are listed below along with their area of certification:

•    Mary Allen, Hospital School, Exceptional Needs Specialist
•    Robert “Bear” Bashford, McDougle Middle, Early Adolescence Science
•    Matthew Cone, Carrboro High, Adolescence-Young Adulthood Social Studies/History
•    Robin Gallaher, Carrboro High, Adolescence-Young Adulthood Career & Technical Education
•    Mike Harris, Phillips Middle, Early Adolescence Social Studies/History
•    Beth O’Donnell, Chapel Hill High, Adolescence-Young Adulthood English as a New Language
•    Erica Pawlowski, Carrboro Elementary, Early and Middle Childhood Music
•    Sarah Sconyers, East Chapel Hill High, Adolescence-Young Adulthood Social Studies/History
•    Haley Wamble, East Chapel Hill High, Adolescence-Young Adulthood Science
•    Michelle Wilson, Chapel Hill High, Adolescence-Young Adulthood Career & Technical Education

The certification process is based on high and rigorous standards that evaluate teaching practice through performance-based assessments.

“The National Board of Professional Teaching Standards is recognized nationally as the gold standard in teacher certification,” said Superintendent Tom Forcella.  “We are fortunate to have teachers such as these who are willing to put in the extra time and effort to raise the standard for teaching in our district, which in turn, improves learning for our students.”

North Carolina leads the nation in the number of National Board Certified teachers with a total of 20,677 certified teachers across the state.

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Dr. Brownstein Resigns from Board

Dr. Michelle Brownstein, who has served on the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools Board of Education since 2009, has resigned from the board, announced James Barrett, board chairman.

"I highly value the time I participated as a member of this board and thank the voters for their support in the past two elections. It has been an honor to serve the public in this manner," Brownstein wrote in her resignation letter, dated December 28, 2015. See the full letter here.

"Speaking on behalf of the board, we appreciate Brownstein's service and concerns for, as noted in her letter, the quality of education for all the district's students, especially those who are struggling," Barrett said. With Brownstein's resignation, along with retirements and turnover on the board in the last election, the board has lost a collective 31 years of experience, Barrett noted.

The board's next regular meeting is scheduled for January 21, and the process to appoint a new member will be on the agenda.

Citizen input or concerns can be directed to the board at allboardmembers@chccs.k12.nc.us.  Press inquiries can be directed to Jeff Nash in the Office of Community Relations at jnash@chccs.k12.nc.us.

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End of Second Quarter, January 15 / Final del Segundo Trimestre, 15 de enero

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